I recently came across an article from Deborah Khoshaba, Psy. D., a contributor for Psychology Today. Called “A Seven-Step Prescription for Self Love” Dr. Khoshaba shares seven ways to incorporate self love into your life.

Dr. Khoshaba’s says, “Self love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Self love is dynamic; it grows by actions that mature us. When we act in ways that expand self-love in us, we begin to accept much better our weaknesses as well as our strengths, have less need to explain away our short-comings, have compassion for ourselves as human beings struggling to find personal meaning, are more centered in our life purpose and values, and expect living fulfillment through our own efforts.”

Here are Dr. Khoshaba’s seven steps for self love:

*Become mindful

*Act on what you need rather on what you want

*Practice good self care

*Set boundaries

*Protect yourself

*Forgive yourself

*Live intentionally

Read more about Dr. Khoshaba’s seven steps for self love on Psychology Today.

In order to raise your voice for others, you have to take care of yourself first. That’s where self care comes in. If you like this tip, be sure to sign up for the Raise Your Voice newsletter to receive your copy of The Revolution Starts with Me! self care zine for more tips and self care resources.

This is a great self care exercise I spotted on the University of Texas Elementary School’s Social Work Practices blog. It’s known by several names, such as “Break Box”, “Breathe Box” and “Calm Down Kit”, and while this exercise is designed to help young people navigate their feelings with the aid of school social workers and parents, this can also be helpful for adults as well. A “calm down kit” is an example of self soothing, where taking care of yourself while in a high-stress or triggering situation is important.

Here’s how to create your Calm Down Kit:

1- Take a pencil box (You can buy these at any craft store or major store chain like Staples) or any box that can safely hold all of your items.

2- Add items to the box that aid you in becoming more aware of your surrounding, calm you down, or help you to express your feelings. You can include pens and crayons, and pieces of paper to write out what’s going through your mind, as well as items that make you feel better.

It’s that simple. If you’re stumped on what to add to your Calm Down Kit, utilize your five senses (part of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) to decide what to soothing and comforting things to place in your kit:

Smell- Candles, lotions, a small vial of fragrances or essential oils

Taste- Pieces of your favorite candy, gum, or mint

Touch- Charm, stress ball, prayer beads, Playdoh, stones or a favorite rock, a piece of jewelry, playing cards

Sight- Small journal, pictures of supportive people in your life, words of inspiration in your hand writing, images of calming scenery, bubbles

Hear- Baoding chime balls, uplifting songs that you can listen to, sounds in nature (running water, leaves blowing in the wind)

The possibilities are endless. Decorate your calm down kit however you want. If you put more effort into creating it, you’ll be more likely to use it. Do this exercise with your family, friends, peers or students. Keep it in a place where it’s easily accessible to you. Also, make sure to create your calm down kit before you actually need it.

The next self care tip with go more into using the five sense for self soothing, for when your calm down kit is not accessible to you.

In order to raise your voice for others, you have to take care of yourself first. That’s where self care comes in. If you like this tip, be sure to sign up for the Raise Your Voice newsletter to receive your copy of The Revolution Starts with Me! self care zine for more tips and self care resources.

It’s easy to become discouraged when you realize that the year is almost over, and you may not be further along in reaching your goals than you’d like. But when you take some time to really think about it, you have done many things to bring you closer to the goals you set for yourself this year.

A few months ago, I started to write down what I thought were some successes I’ve made towards my goals for the month. I took a sheet of paper and wrote the name of the previous month. Then I listed anything that I felt I did that month that’s brought me closer to my goals. (I also looked through my personal journal as well as in my gratitude journal iPhone app to jog my memory). It was an instant mood booster.

This weekend, take some time to write down anything that moved you closer to your goals last month. This can involve any goals you set throughout the year for school, career, health, relationships, finances, and other areas that you’ve set out to improve. For extra credit, take your successes and write down the next step for each one, and focus on that next step for the duration of this month.  Not only will you see that achieving your goals are possible, it also reduces any overwhelm you may be feeling in achieving your goals.